Tall poles are being installed at key points in Lye to carry the new network of CCTV cameras to keep watch over the town.

Seven new cameras will be installed in the town over the coming weeks. New eight metre poles have been added to the bypass, Jackson Street and the High Street which will carry the new cameras, capable of detailed coverage over hundreds of metres.

It is the latest town to be added to a £1.7million rolling programme of upgrades to the camera system. Councillor Laura Taylor, cabinet member responsible for CCTV, said:

"This is a major step in the roll out of the new cameras in the town. Once all of the poles are in we will be looking to add the cameras and then make the whole system live.

"Lye is the latest town to benefit from this massive investment in safety and protection and will allow us to monitor the town at all times and make people feel safer than ever before."

Town centres in Halesowen, Dudley, Stourbridge and Brierley Hill are now complete. Other key areas have also been added to the programme of work including Sedgley town centre and Castle Gate and Coronation Gardens, in Dudley.

The scheme is the biggest overhaul of closed-circuit cameras in the council’s history and replaces old and outdated cameras, which suffered repeated breakdowns and costly repairs. It is being done in partnership with police and gives much clearer images of sites which can help in catching and prosecuting offenders.

A new high-tech, highly secure control room went live last month which is capable of monitoring more than 100 cameras at once.